Eastern Costa del Sol town to put up water rates 'for first time in 15 years'

It will affect 21,500 residents in the municipality but the local council said it will not impose the rubbish tax introduced by the Spanish government

Eugenio Cabezas

Torrox

Friday, 20 December 2024, 15:16

The new year will arrive with tax rises for the more than 21,500 residents of Torrox on the eastern Costa del Sol. However, the rise will only affect the water rates and not the new rubbish tax which has been introduced by Spain’s central government.

The announcement was made on Thursday 19 December by the Partido Popular (PP) Mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina, who said that the so-called ‘tasazo’ or rubbish tax “imposed” by the PSOE central government would not be applied in the town and was part of "Pedro Sánchez's fiscal voracity".

The new Spanish legislation includes the European Law on Waste and Contaminated Soil for a Circular Economy, which establishes that whoever generates waste must fully cover the costs of collection, transport and treatment with a new tax that must be applied before 10 April 2025. As such, Malaga city hall and Vélez-Málaga town hall are working to implement a municipal waste tax, which is currently included in the IBI (council tax) bill.

Drought

However, Torrox town hall will apply new rates of “one euro for every 15,000 litres consumed” Medina explained, adding that “prices have been frozen since 2010”. Through the increase, the town hall says it will be able to cover the additional charges brought in by the Axarquia’s public water company in July.

Medina explained that the increase has come about as a result of the extra cost for the treatment of water that is transferred from Malaga city to the Axarquía to tackle the drought and subsequent low levels of water in La Viñuela reservoir.

The mayor said that since he came into office in June 2015, there have been reductions in taxes, such as IBI and the vehicle tax, and insisted that the increase in water rates “will only affect citizens by the minimum amount necessary so as not to jeopardise the quality of services and the need, due to the drought situation we are still suffering, for everyone to be aware of the importance of saving water as much as possible”.

Top 50

Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para suscriptores.

Reporta un error en esta noticia